


Worth the Wait

by MagicSwordsman



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Arguing, F/M, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-03
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:53:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23464996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagicSwordsman/pseuds/MagicSwordsman
Summary: When Ann and Ryuji's arguments take a turn for the worse, Ren finds his patience being put to the ultimate test. Hopefully, when everything is said and done, it'll all have been worth the wait.
Relationships: Sakamoto Ryuji & Takamaki Ann, Sakamoto Ryuji/Takamaki Ann
Comments: 2
Kudos: 89





	Worth the Wait

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! This is my first time writing anything for Persona 5 (and anything in general for a long while, really). I don't know if Ann/Ryuji is necessarily my favorite pairing, but I do love their dynamic a lot. They're up there, for sure. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

A thick, heavy silence had engulfed the café some time ago, save for the odd huff of air that would escape Ryuji's nostrils. Ren wasn't exactly unfamiliar with seeing his friend at this hour of night - Ryuji loved visiting well after Leblanc's doors were closed for business, bringing with him a myriad of conversations that made Ren's head spin. Lately, the visits had become more frequent, and the conversations less compelling. What's more, Ryuji's attitude had taken a steady decline, from slightly irritated, to frustrated, to downright _pissed_ as soon as the rowdy boy shoved his way through the shop's door. The reason why hadn't escaped Ren's notice.

Ann.

The girl was surely at the forefront of his friend's mind, and he couldn't blame him. It all happened so quickly - the pair had been pretty inseparable over the past three months, and then, seemingly over night, something changed. Witnessing this developing tension between Ann and Ryuji gave birth to some of the strangest moments of Ren's life, and that included meeting a talking maybe-a-cat thing and diving headfirst into the cognitive world. He tried to recall the first time he noticed something was so obviously wrong.

* * *

It started with an argument, about two weeks ago. Eighteen days ago, were Ren to be specific. It was another impromptu trip to the buffet - just the three of them, as was tradition - and Ann had managed to snag a piece of her favorite quadruple-chocolate cake. What made it 'quadruple,' Ren couldn't hazard a guess, but whatever it was, it was apparently tasty enough for Ann to declare it her favorite dessert, narrowly edging out triple-cheese cake. Before she could set her plate down onto their shared table, a snide remark flew from Ryuji's lips, faster than a jet leaving a terminal.

"Man, you still eatin' that junk?"

"What's wrong with that?" Ann countered, her once cheerful disposition morphing into one of bewilderment. "It's not like we come here all the time."

"Good thing. You'd just be a giant blimp if we did."

"Excuse me?"

Ren had barely taken a bite of his own meal before their back-and-forth began. Normally, he never bothered to intervene during these situations, these 'Sakamaki moments,' as he called them. This was just how they were. It was all pretty insulting, but it came from a good place. It was a place of friendship, and a bit of lighthearted teasing was their number one method of communication. And yet, something about the callousness of Ryuji's wording, and the way Ann was poised - her fingers slowly curling into the palms of her hands, her bottom lip tucked firmly between her teeth, her brow furrowed so tightly that her vessels could burst - all screamed danger to the bespectacled boy. He made a motion to nudge Ryuji, but the blond was already speaking faster than Ren could lift his elbow.

"Ya know, now that I think about it, that ain't such a bad thing. You could just fly us out of Palaces."

It was hopeless. Ryuji was blissfully unaware of these types of social cues, moreso than anyone Ren knew. Well, excluding Yusuke, but he was still convinced that Yusuke was merely a stack of art history books wearing a very humanlike disguise. Slowly, he turned his head towards Ann, and he could've sworn that smoke was flowing from her ears in waves.

"Nobody asked you!"

"I'm just sayin'. Why use a car when we can use a giant blimp?" Ryuji threw his arms behind his head, not a care in the world, as he prided himself on his supposed wit.

"So, do you plan on holding us back in _every_ Palace then?" Ann spat back, hints of smugness laden in her voice. "What're you going to trip over next?"

"Wait, what?!" Ryuji exclaimed. Ren was shocked that Ann had fired back so viciously, attacking Ryuji where it likely hurt the most. It was a sense of shock that the former track star also shared, written all over his face.

"Oh, you fall behind on purpose, right?"

"At least I do somethin' useful! We don't even need you when we got Makoto and Haru!"

"Falling on your face is useful? Could've fooled me."

"More useful than worryin' about my looks every minute!"

Ren gulped as their jabs were becoming a bit too personal. He forced his back into his seat, hoping that constantly pushing against it would make him disappear into the void.

"Actually, you're right. I _don't_ need this - you should take it instead. Eat up, asshole!"

With all the fury and swiftness of an angry panther, Ann grabbed a fistful of cake and chucked it as hard as she could. Though Ren was agile enough to duck his head underneath the table, Ryuji was not gifted with the same reflexes, the loudmouth finding himself bombarded with four layers of chocolate. When enough time had passed, Ren peeked his head out long enough to see his friends scowling at each other from opposite ends of the table.

"What the hell was that for?!" Ryuji shouted, but his question would remain unanswered, for Ann stormed off immediately after, unfazed by the incredulous looks she received from everyone she passed.

Ren sighed. He really wanted to try some of that cake.

* * *

He had fully expected them to apologize and move on, as they typically did following one of their fights, but eighteen days came and went, and the arguments had only grown in intensity. Ann would call Ryuji a loser with no future, Ryuji would call Ann a talentless, overbearing witch, and so on and so forth. Needless to say, it put Ren in a bit of a compromising position, having to split his free time between them equally until they sorted everything out on their own.

And despite the first 'big' argument taking place at the buffet, Ren had been mildly aware of the rising tension days prior - it was a rift that grew wider with each passing minute, trapping them both on either side, keeping them distant. It made Ren feel sad, watching this friendship collapse like a meticulously crafted house of cards. He didn't enjoy having them argue, not to this degree. Not in such a serious manner.

Seeing them grow closer over the past couple of months had been such an enjoyable experience. Leaving group hangout sessions because Ryuji realized they were late to a movie, Ann pulling Ryuji aside and convincing him to share ice cream with her, the inside jokes and laughs that spawned from nowhere that would leave everyone else in a state of confusion. It was so, _so_ cute, and Ren missed those little interactions. Makoto was probably sick to death of hearing him ask her for advice.

"Just give them time," she'd said with an exasperated sigh. "Forcing them to talk would make things worse. They'll come around. Eventually."

Ren had always considered himself to be a relatively patient person, but how much time was enough time? When were these two going to finally sit down and have a mature heart-to-heart?

He felt his face growing pale at the word 'mature.' This might take longer than he thought.

Much longer.

He leaned over Leblanc's counter, handing Ryuji a mug of orange juice. The blond uncrossed his arms just long enough to accept, the cold beverage swishing and sloshing around in his grasp. Ren watched in abject horror as Ryuji downed the drink in one fell swoop, letting out a stomach-churning belch once the contents reached his gut.

"Can you effin' believe her?" Ryuji asked, slamming his empty mug onto the countertop, not unlike a bitter drunk. "'Course I'm gonna graduate!"

"Most likely."

"Dude. Not helpin'."

Ren took Ryuji's mug to refill it for the third time. Luckily, Sojiro's regulars didn't drink much orange juice, for their supply was running incredibly low. He briefly wondered if he would make a good bartender, listening to the everyday struggles of his patrons, pouring them drinks while they poured their hearts and souls out to him in return. Probably not, he decided. He could barely handle his own friend, and Ryuji wasn't even drinking alcohol.

The boy in question let out a desperate wail of frustration, pulling Ren away from his career-related musings. "She just gets me so…. so…"

"Angry?"

"I was gonna say 'pissed off,' but yeah. Angry." Ryuji scratched the back of his head, contemplating how to properly word his thoughts. Ren figured there were plenty of thoughts to be shared. "Why's she always gotta be like that?"

"Like what?" It was a question asked out of habit, as if he didn't already know what Ryuji was going to say. This wasn't their first conversation about this, that's for sure. He passed Ryuji another mug of juice, carefully placing it in his hands so it didn't spill during another scathing tirade. Thankfully, the aggravated blond didn't down this one like the others, instead choosing to study the mug like it was the first mug he had ever laid his eyes upon.

"Like, irritatin' and shit, man. She knows exactly what to say to make me mad."

"Maybe you should talk about it-"

No, bad! Ren mentally scolded himself, slapping his own mental wrist with his own mental hand. This was exactly the opposite of the advice Makoto had given to him. He wanted to maintain his calm demeanor, but god! Sitting around waiting for things to right themselves - for two of the most stubborn people on earth to relent and solve their issues together - was slowly eating him alive.

"Hell no! There ain't nothin' to talk about!"

Ryuji seemed adamant in his stance, not that Ren expected much else. Before either of them could continue, the door to Leblanc barreled open. Ren began to mouth the words, 'Sorry, we're closed,' but could only let out a sputtered 'Uhhh' to the girl standing before him.

He really wished Ryuji would lock the door behind him.

"Why is _he_ here?!" Ann shouted, glaring daggers in Ren's direction.

It wasn't terribly surprising for Ann to be here - she, like Ryuji, loved to visit at this time and vent. On any other night, he'd find it amusing how similar they could be sometimes, and in the strangest of ways.

His thoughts drifted back to Ann, who was undoubtedly thinking of ways to throttle him from across the room. He didn't really have an answer for her. When he told her that it was fine for her to stop by, it had completely slipped his mind that he extended that same invitation to Ryuji some hours earlier. Maybe it was his subconscious finally getting the best of him. Or maybe he was just that tired. He envied Morgana, who was currently curled up in a ball at the edge of his bed, presumably counting sushi in his sleep.

"Hey!" Ryuji interjected. "It's a free country!"

"You don't even know what that phrase means, you idiot!"

"It means that I'm free to do anything I want and be anywhere I want - including here!"

Oh no. It was starting again. Ren could clearly see the storm clouds moving in from the distance. Unfortunately, he left his umbrella elsewhere.

Ann let out a scoff of derision. "I can see why you failed history," she muttered under her breath.

"What was that?!"

"I said-!" This time, she spoke loudly enough for Ryuji, and Ren, to hear, her voice raising a few decibels as she did. "I can see why you failed history!"

"Yeah? That's tough talk from someone that's failin' math!"

Ann gasped and stomped her foot. "I am so not failing math!"

"Then you should know that three's a crowd, so get lost!"

"You're such a moron!"

"You're the moron!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Uh-huh!"

This wasn't good, Ren thought. It usually took them at least ten minutes to devolve into pure, childish insults. They were breaking new ground, and not in a good way. But then again, they would never come to any sort of compromise if they didn't speak their minds. As much as it pained him not to interfere, it would be best for him to leave them to their own devices. He slowly began to back away, praying that there was a secret backdoor hidden within the refrigerator.

"I'll go wash the dis-"

"No, it's okay, Ren." Ann cut him off before he could get very far. "By all means, stay here. We have nothing to hide!"

Though it was phrased as a suggestion, it was definitely a thinly-veiled command. His body went rigid, scared completely out of his wits. He didn't know what to do - what could he do, except stand there as his friends verbally tore each other apart?

"Real nice." The sarcasm was dripping from Ryuji like a leaky faucet. "Way to drag Ren into our mess."

"He was already dragged into it! You're the one that's always ready to argue right in front of everyone else!"

"It's kinda hard not to when you're always so damn frustrating!" Ryuji shot up from his seat, the force of his action nearly sending his chair hurdling to the ground. "Why can't you just stop bein' such a pain in the ass all the time?!"

"Seriously, what the hell is your problem?!" Ann shouted, her voice louder than before, if that were possible.

"You're the one-!"

"No, cut the bullshit, Ryuji!"

Ren didn't know what to make of Ann's sudden outburst. It was different, like she was done with this. Whatever 'this' was. Her tone wasn't the same - it wasn't one of anger, but one of sadness, and possibly regret.

"What happened to us?" Ann continued, her voice softer, but not by much. "You act like I did something terrible to you. I don't get it at all! Saying all of these horrible things, making me feel like shit. I thought we-" Ann's eyes lowered to the floor, not daring to look Ryuji straight in the face - looking anywhere _but_ to Ryuji's face. "We were spending so much time together. Everything was so nice. I felt like I was seeing the real Ryuji. Then you started avoiding me out of nowhere."

"I-i wasn't avoiding you!" Ann's words seemed to catch Ryuji off-guard as he fumbled for a reply of any kind.

"I said stop lying!" Ann brought her fist down onto the countertop, startling the two boys in the room. Ren could feel his heart beating much faster than before, his pulse racing as sparks of emotion began to fly wildly. Then, as swiftly as it came on, the flash of rage that crossed Ann's face began to fade and her expression grew sorrowful. Ren could see her fingers slowly unfurling, trembling.

Ryuji seemed to be at a loss for words. He looked almost guilty - Ann's words were having an effect on him, whether he knew it or not. When he wouldn't respond, Ann went on.

"You canceled plans, you stopped answering my texts, and you kept making up these lame excuses to get away from me. Then you started saying these awful things to me, and I started saying awful things to you. It just - it hurt, a lot."

"Ann…"

The quiet utterance of her name was the only thing Ryuji could offer. Ren didn't know what he would say either, were he in Ryuji's shoes. But he knew that he needed to hear this, and Ann needed to say it.

"It still hurts - everything hurts. Every fight we have kills me. I just miss the way we used to be. Watching those stupid samurai movies in your room, or… telling stupid jokes that literally no one else would laugh at but us." Ann giggled at the memories, but only for a second. Her legs, much like her fingers, were shaking - it was evident to Ren that it was taking a ton of willpower for her not to run out the front door. "I thought we were getting closer. I thought, maybe, you were…"

"Ann?"

"That you were interested. In me. And that's why."

Tears were collecting in the corners of Ann's eyes, and it took every ounce of self-restraint in Ren's body not to immediately run up to her and embrace her. The sight of her crying brought back awful pictures of the past to his mind - of Kamoshida, of his first months at Shujin, where Ann was carrying the world on her shoulders and her feelings were kept locked away. Her tears, and her hopelessness. He hated seeing her this way, but he knew that he had to let her keep going. Not solely for her sake, but for Ryuji's as well.

"That's why it hurts so much!" Ann was yelling once more, but now she was staring Ryuji dead in the eyes. Now she was letting her tears flow freely. She held her hand to her chest, trying anything to keep her heart from exploding inside of it. "But I don't care about that anymore! I'm sorry, okay?! I'm sorry for everything! So just - just tell me what I did wrong so we can go back to the way things were before! Please, Ryuji!"

Ren looked to Ryuji, and unsurprisingly, the blond shared his expression. His mouth agape, eyebrows raised so high that they could touch the ceiling. After a period of time - seconds? Minutes? Hours? The concept of time was all but lost to Ren in this moment - Ryuji's body language changed. His shoulders were slumped over. He was shifting his weight, feeling immense discomfort by simply standing there.

Ann was sobbing now, and it was apparent that Ryuji was worried. Ryuji looked to Ren, asking him a million and one questions with only a glance.

'What do I say?'

'How do I fix this?'

'Is it too late?'

But Ren didn't say anything. He smiled at Ryuji, giving him a nod. He didn't say anything because he knew - and deep down, Ryuji knew it too, he was sure - what needed to be said. What Ryuji needed to say. Ryuji nodded in return, but not before letting out a long, drawn-out breath. It was going to be tough, but Ren had faith.

"T-that ain't it," Ryuji forced out, his voice barely above a whisper.

Ann wiped a few tears from her eyes, choking back sobs long enough to respond. "What did you say?"

"I said that you didn't do anything wrong," Ryuji admitted in defeat. He kicked at invisible dirt, doing anything to delay the inevitable conversation. This was going to be a lot tougher on Ryuji than Ren realized.

"Then why…?"

"Ann, you don't understand. Those days we were hangin' out and spendin' time together were some of the best days ever. You're right - we were gettin' closer, and… I dunno. I freaked out. I was feelin' all these different things about you, and I didn't know how to deal with 'em."

"W-what are you saying?"

"I couldn't handle bein' around you anymore, so I stopped. And every time I saw you, somethin' in me just told me to say that shit to you. Like if I wasn't sayin' it, I'd… I'd start… complimentin' you instead."

Ren could tell that this was difficult for Ryuji. Aside from himself, there was no one that Ryuji was this open with. He was in uncharted territory, hoping that he would somehow find his way to his destination. Ren was sure that he would - Ann was waiting for him there.

"A-and if I started complimentin' you, I'd start thinkin' about you like I always do, and thinkin' about all of your good qualities." He walked back over to his seat, refusing to look at Ann as he plopped himself onto it. "You're so damn beautiful, but you already know that. More than that, you're just so brave. After all the shit that that bastard Kamoshida put you through, you still came back to school with a smile on your face. You inspire so many people to keep pushin' on. You inspire me too, Ann."

Ryuji smiled, and Ann did too. She swiped away at the last remnants of her tears, letting Ryuji finish his thoughts. "But spendin' all that time with you made me realize that there's even more to you than that. You're determined, you're seriously effin' funny, you're not afraid to eat whatever the hell you want and say 'screw you' to anyone that gives you crap. And more. A lot more.

That's why I stopped callin', and kept up those dumb excuses. Maybe I was tryin' to fool myself into thinkin' that I didn't have feelings for you, because I knew that there was no way you could feel the same way. It was easier to lie than to face that stuff head-on. And I know!"

Ann let out a startled yelp as Ryuji turned to face her with the most serious look Ren had ever seen plastered on his face. "I know that doesn't give me the right to say any of that awful shit I've been sayin' to you. None of it was true. I just had to keep lyin' to myself, somehow, because I knew that there was no way you'd be interested in me too." He gave Ann a sad smile. "So don't be sorry. I'm the one that should be beggin' you for forgiveness. I really am an asshole."

Silence took hold once again. This time it felt fragile, and Ren was afraid that any sound - any breath, any sudden motion or movement, any single word - would disrupt everything that was happening. When Ren went to breathe, he felt the air become caught in his throat. When he went to move, his body wouldn't budge. But he didn't try to say anything. He didn't _want_ to say anything. He couldn't, because even though he was sure that he was going to spontaneously combust from the suspense in the next seventeen seconds, he had to be patient.

But boy, was this really testing the limits of his patience.

When sixteen seconds passed and Ren had accepted his imminent death by combustion, Ann's voice broke through the barrier of silence.

"I guess we're both assholes then." She ignored Ryuji's 'Huh?' and sat down next to him, pulling a chair close to his side. "I said some pretty dumb things to you too, and that probably hurt you just as much."

She didn't bother letting Ryuji respond. Ren wasn't sure that he would be able to anyway, as Ann took Ryuji's hand in hers. They gazed into each other's eyes, neither backing away in spite of this newfound closeness - this newfound warmth. "But you're so wrong when you said that there's no way I could feel the same way about you."

"F-for r-"

"Yeah, for real," Ann said, with hints of amusement. "You called me brave, but you're brave too, maybe even braver than I am. You dealt with a lot of the same things that I did and found a way to stand up to Kamoshida, again and again. Actually, it's because of you guys…" Ann gave Ren a quick smile, which Ren returned wholeheartedly. "…that I was able to be as brave as I was. You inspired _me_. And as silly as you can be, you have a lot of good things going on too."

"Yeah?"

"Mm-hm. You're loyal to your friends, you're willing to fight for the things you love. You're always so passionate about the things you care about. To be honest, it makes me a little jealous sometimes. But I really admire that about you. It's one of the reasons why I-"

Ren could hardly contain himself, his mind screaming 'Please, for the love of everything, say it!' - it was torturous.

Ann steeled herself, sitting up straight and gripping Ryuji's hand tightly. "It's why I like you! A-and I know this is a lot and everything is happening pretty fast right now and I'm sorry but-"

Ann never finished her statement, not because Ryuji cut her off with another reply, but because her words had nowhere to go - Ryuji had placed his lips directly onto hers, quieting her, trapping her words, with a kiss. Though the meeting of lips was unexpected, it didn't take much time for Ann to give in, closing her eyes as she did. Their hands didn't return to their owners' sides, Ann rubbing a lone thumb over the back of Ryuji's hand.

But as quickly as it began, the kiss ended. Ryuji was the first to collect himself.

"Pretty brave, huh?" he said jokingly. His usual toothy grin seemed to be wider than before, overtaking the entirety of his face. Though Ren expected a sarcastic jab from Ann, it never came.

"Pretty brave," Ann confirmed. Her smile never left her face, and soon enough, Ryuji's grin relaxed into a smile that mirrored hers. Pure, soft, happy.

As long as Ren had been waiting for them to fix their friendship, he couldn't imagine how long either of them had been waiting for this. Nevertheless, it did his heart good to see his friends so cheerful again - to see them smiling instead of grimacing, to see them looking at each other with admiration instead of contempt. His patience had finally been rewarded, and he couldn't be happier.

"Oh uh, s-sorry, man," Ryuji apologized to Ren. "Didn't mean to keep ya waitin' there."

"Don't worry," Ren replied, barely managing to stifle the elation in his voice. "It was worth the wait."


End file.
